Sports Authority

A discount retailer is moving into the former Sports Authority at Bee Ridge and Cattlemen roads.

Pennsylvania-based Ollie’s Bargain Outlet has finalized a lease for 42,000-square-foot space in the Publix-anchored Centergate Plaza.

The retailer currently operates 244 stores in 20 states and carries a wide assortment of brand-name discounted inventory such as housewares, flooring, food and cosmetic supplies. The company’s buyers seek out closeouts, overstocks, package changes and manufacturer refurbished goods to stock its stores. Ollie’s also works with insurance companies to purchase undamaged salvage inventory from stores that have experienced floods or fires, according to the company’s website.

Ollie’s currently operates 11 stores in Florida and expects to open up to four stores in the Tampa Sarasota and Bradenton markets before the end of the year.

The Centergate Plaza Ollie’s, expected to open in the fourth quarter, will bring the shopping center to 100 percent occupancy. The site has been empty since Sports Authority closed all of its stores nationwide in mid-2016.

The shopping center is also home to Bealls Outlet and Tile Outlets of America, and other major retailers such as Burlington Coat Factory, McDonald’s, LA Fitness, Walgreens, Panera Bread, Bank of America and T-Mobile operate stores at this intersection.

Sports Authority will open its fourth store in Southwest Florida on Saturday, Oct. 18.

The brand new 35,768-square-foot store in Pelican Plaza at 8372 S. Tamiami Trail, will open to the public in two weeks. The first 250 customers to come into the store on Oct. 18 will win “mystery bucks” with a value of up to $500 and have the chance to win $100 gift cards during drawings on every hour.

The Sports Authority store, which sells sports performance apparel, equipment and accessories, will have products from brands like Nike, Under Armour, adidas, The North Face and more.

The store will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Pelican Plaza, a Benderson Development-owned recently underwent major renovations. The mostly vacant center has struggled since its former anchor, Linens ‘n Things, closed in 2008 following a bankruptcy filing by its parent company. Former tenants included a Plato’s Closet and 107,000-square-foot Bealls Outlet store, which closed in late 2013 before renovations began.

The Manatee County-based company, paid $4 million for the 29-year-old strip center at U.S. 41 and Vamo Road in 2012.

Total Wine & More, the wine, liquor and beer retailer, known for its affordable prices and expansive selection of alcoholic beverages, will open a 20,000-square-foot store next to Sports Authority.

Sports Authority operates a store on Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota, in University Park and in North Port.

For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.

Total Wine & More will open its second store in Southwest Florida on U.S. 41 in the recently renovated Pelican Plaza.

The wine, liquor and beer retailer, known for its affordable prices and expansive selection of alcoholic beverages, will open a 20,000-square-foot store next to Sports Authority, which the Herald-Tribune reported would open in February.

Pelican Plaza, a Benderson Development-owned center, is currently undergoing renovations. The mostly vacant center has struggled since its former anchor, Linens ‘n Things, closed in 2008 following a bankruptcy filing by its parent company. Former tenants included a Plato’s Closet and 107,000-square-foot Bealls Outlet store, which closed in late 2013 before renovations began.

The Manatee County-based company, paid $4 million for the 29-year-old strip center at U.S. 41 and Vamo Road in 2012.

Sports Authority will be the plaza’s largest tenant at just over 37,000-square-feet, said Mark Chait, Benderson Development’s executive director of leasing for the Southeast.

Total Wine, which operates another store in the Shoppes at University Town Center next to Nordstrom Rack, has been very successful since its opening. The new Total Wine store will compete with Costco Wholesale next door inside Westfield Group’s Sarasota Square Mall.

Building renovations are expected to be finished by the end of summer, Chait said. Total Wine has more than a dozen stores in the Florida market, including in Naples, Fort Myers, and several in the Tampa Bay area.

Photo courtesy of Total Wine & More

For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.

Sports Authority will open a new store in Pelican Plaza near Sarasota Square mall this fall.

Pelican Plaza, a Benderson Development-owned center is currently undergoing renovations. The mostly vacant center has struggled since its former anchor, Linens ‘n Things, closed in 2008 following a bankruptcy filing by its parent company. Former tenants included a Plato’s Closet and 107,000-square-foot Bealls Outlet store, which closed in late 2013 before renovations began.

The Manatee County-based company, paid $4 million for the 29-year-old strip center at U.S. 41 and Vamo Road in 2012.

Sports Authority will be the plaza’s largest tenant at just over 37,000-square-feet, said Mark Chait, Benderson Development’s executive director of leasing for the Southeast.

Building renovations are expected to be finished by the end of summer, Chait said. This is the fifth Sports Authority store to open in the Southwest Florida region, including one store in another Benderson Development-owned plaza on University Parkway.

Photo by Elaine Litherland, Herald-Tribune staff.

For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.